Killing for wood: The timber mafia’s brutal business | DW Documentary
The illegal timber trade is worth billions. High returns and low rates of prosecution attract organized crime. In the past year alone, 120 million tons of timber in Europe had no official certificate of origin.
At the same time, deforestation is one of the biggest drivers of the climate catastrophe caused by the greenhouse gas CO2. Romania is home to one of the last and largest primeval forests in Europe. It’s estimated that half of the nation’s trees are being cut down illegally. The organization “Agent Green” is battling the problem. Founder Gabriel Paun was almost beaten to death in 2015 by members of the timber mafia. At least six forest rangers have been murdered in Romania over the past decade. The European Union warned Romania back in 2020 that it wasn’t taking adequate steps to protect its forests. But thus far, there have been no follow-up measures.
Interpol estimates that the illegal timber market is worth up to 152 billion US dollars a year. Environmental crime is the third largest criminal sector in the world, after drugs and counterfeit goods.
In Cambodia, a third of all forests have disappeared over the last 20 years. The timber mafia wields huge power here, with alleged links to government. Although it’s difficult to get people to talk publicly about these matters, Marcus Hardtke continues to try. The German environmentalist came to Cambodia 30 years ago. Since then, he’s locked horns with the timber mafia.
The film also examines the question of whether German policymakers are doing enough to combat illegal timber imports. After all, as the documentary shows: one of the top buyers of timber from Romania are furniture and DIY stores in Germany.
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31 comments
DW always tackling subjects and matters that are mostly overshadowed by many other issues, but affects more. Each time I learn something new.
Thank you for an enriching and risky report.
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It will literally cost you an arm for red rose wood.
🤯😭
Al Shabaab into illegal logging in Somalia? What geopolitical radius are we talking about? Come on DW?
DW I think you're looking in the wrong place I am pretty sure all that Lumber is turn into stove fuel the little wood pellets it's still going to Germany just in a different shape but most of it is being sold around Romania what they do is sell it to the main guy in the village that splits firewood everybody needs firewood especially poor people in Romania and they go through a lot I'm telling you DW you are looking in the wrong place when you're trying to investigate wood samples you need more wood samples like the ones that don't make sense because that's what criminals do they get rid of the evidence what better way is to just burn it.
Sad 😢
These as vaileurs times frescoop lewer coop tree found.
Do not buy from stores that buy illegal wood. This program identifies them.
Profit over everything smh
Thank you DW and Johannes Musial for joining us in the wood and for exposing the critical situation in Romania
The corruption of Eastern Europe is killing the people and the countries of East Europe.
Very informative documentary as always, thanks DW👏🙏✌️
If places like ikea and so many other companies made better quality wood stuff then people would not have to gwt rid of stuff so fast and we would not need to cut down so many trees but its not in the companys intresd as its all about money the governments should take action like so many other things
Mana sus cine e roman!
Excellent documentary DW. Enhorabuena!
Killing for wood. That's what she said.
I’m glad I see these sort of deep dives on this channel it’s just a shame that “media” tends not to have any of the real stories anymore! A big thank you to those who go out to actuallly make these stories
Is hemp illegal in Romania? In America hemp/marijuana was made illegal in part because the timber industry didn't want the competition of sustainable hemp for making newspapers. Bring back hemp to help save the forests. It can surely be used for making paper and cardboard boxes. I wonder if it could be used to make toilet paper?
Thank you DW and these environmental activists, you are doing a great job risking your lifes to report illegal activities going on in the global timber market. May be these timber mafia failed to understand that the forest/trees are natural source of live or maybe they know but greed to money by all means have beclouded their normal sense of reasoning.
Once again I appreciate you guys for all the good work you are doing to protect a major source of human life's on earth 👍🙏❤️.
The actual reason for this charade is that EUDR Regulation entered into force in June this year and they want to promote the false image that Romanian forestry is similar to that of third world countries. Romania has o more close to nature forestry than all the western Europe countries, and that is the result of the hard work of foresters in the last 50 years. NGO's in Romania are financed from abroad and do not serve national interests.
I noticed that at the beginning you mentioned that eco-activists have received "leads" from the police. Well, I say that the eco-activists should have visited the perpetrators in jail after the police (well informed and equipped) did its job and caught them.
Excellent documentary, DW just to mention SCHWEIGHOFER, from AUSTRIA destroyed most of the CARPATIAN forest hand in hand with Rom-silva and Romanian Gov. one of the most CORRUPT in the EU.
23:40 no man can sit like this. what's happening here?
👍🏾
WTF.
This has been going on for decades in the developing world.
Why is it only now that Europe has gotten its conscience?
Hypocrisy perhaps.
I will always trust DW Documentary Always very entertaining and informative
It’s a fucking epidemic all over the world.
You should get into this subject in Poland What Sovereign Poland Party was doing with forests in the last 8 years
if ur not boycotting ur also responsible
Can governments encourage recycling of old furniture? Can home construction be of sturdy metals or better recycled plastics? Turn into pressed pulp. The trend is minimalism with synthetic materials. Air quality is important. Less dust, more built ins, which require wood. UN should enforce ceiminal environmental infraction with steep fines to both the country and corporation. Like someone said, it is illegal to buy or traffic stolen property. 💚🎄.
You can say thanks to the Germans because they buy the Romanian wood.
And don't let them pretend they don't know where it comes from.
This is just propaganda to take over the market .
Your doing it wrong you should give us your land we can do it better.
Romania and this west europe they are just shit countrys .